


Familiar Touch

by Sandentwins



Category: Taiyou no Ko Esteban | Les Mystérieuses Cités d'or | The Mysterious Cities of Gold
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comfort, Gen, Olmecs, Roleswap, Season 1 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 16:52:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19674217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins
Summary: His search for his mother, the Traveling Oracle, has led Esteban to the Cities of Gold. There he meets an enigmatic priestess, who could perhaps answer some of his questions...or make him ask himself even more.A roleswap AU where Esteban's mother is the one who lived and became the High Priestess.





	Familiar Touch

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Français available: [Chaleur Familière](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20122042) by [Sandentwins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins)



> Did I mention that I do what I want? No respect for anything, only love for Esteban's fridged mom. kestuvafer batar.
> 
> Not part of the [As the Golden Condor Flies series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1319516), since non-canon compliant.

_They've come for her. At last, their fear of the unknown had gotten a hold of them, and now they were trying to kill her._

_Her lover had interceded. He bravely tried to protect her and the child she was holding. He fought them back with all his might, but they were too strong, too many, and they've seized him. She screamed his name, she reached for him, but they were taking him away. And now it was her turn._

_She tried to resist, to fight them, but they were many, and in way better condition to fight than she was, shocked and with a baby in one arm. The child started crying again, as the boat finally touched to the water in a great splashing noise, that couldn't wet the earth more than it already was._

_“You can't do this to us! Leave him alone! I won't let you hurt him, do you hear me!?”_

_But they made nothing of her supplications. Before she knew it, she had been forced onto the deck, almost thrown like a sack of grain._

_“Leave, unworthy maiden! Leave this land, and never return!”_

_“If you or your spawn ever set foot here again, there will be horrible consequences!”_

_“You can't do this! I won't let you!”_

_She tried to leave ship, to return to solid land. But before she could figure out how, the combined forced of the crowd had pushed the boat further into the water. She wouldn't be able to make it without hurting Wayra, and all she could do was watch in horror as she started drifting away._

_“You can't do this!”, she kept calling. “You don't have the right! The Sun God will punish you all!!”_

_Without she could stop them, her tears started crying. Holding Wayra close to her chest, her teeth gritted in pain, she couldn't help curling on herself, fury still burning within her. They've taken her lover away, and she had to protect her child lest they did the same to him. So she stayed curled there, shielding her baby with her arms, her voice too tired to even call out her lover's name in desperation. They've emptied her of her last strength, and she felt life sap out of her, helplessly. As the ship was being led away by currents, all she could do was fall on her knees and cry._

_But that's when the tiniest of tugs on her hair reminded her that this time, not everything was lost._

_She looked down, looked at her child's face despite her teary eyes. Carefully, she brought him against her chest, using her sleeves to shield him from the cold sea air. Her breath was still sobbing, her throat couldn't speak a sound, but it didn't matter. Wayra was here, he was safe. They didn't get him. They'd never get him. And that was what mattered._

_Gently, she rubbed his back, letting her breath calm down. He started crying, still hurt from that sudden shock, and she softly shushed his sobs with more caresses. Slowly, her voice found its way out again, and she held Wayra close against her as she started singing to him. Singing the lullaby of their love, to reach out to her companion one final time, and to calm their child's cries._

_It would be the last time he'd ever hear that song._

~~~~~

Esteban woke up.

He had to look twice to know where he was, and to focus for a while to remember all that happened. Everything was still a little blurry in his head, but as the last remnants of sleep left his body, it all came back to him: the Olmecs and their flying machine, Zia's abduction, their daring escape from these monsters' deformed clutches. He didn't remember much of what happened next; only that he swam, carrying an unconscious Zia in his arm and his dagger in his teeth, swam back to shore and to safety.

How he came to end up in a bed of all places from there on, remained a complete mystery.

He frantically looked around, his mind suddenly overcome with panic, but felt relief wash over him the moment he saw Zia, who was sleeping in a bed right next to him. She didn't look like she was hurt or in pain, and that was for the best. He couldn't help a relieved smile from forming on his lips, a short moment before questions came back to him in a hurry. For them to wake up in this room meant that they've been brought here: but he couldn't tell _whom_ had done it.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, he didn't have to ask himself for long. A short moment later, he heard footsteps coming nearby, and brought a hand to his weapon just in case; but the darkness of the room dissipated, and in came a silhouette he's never seen before.

A silhouette whose face was cloaked in shadows. Instinctively, he started to panic.

“Wh-who are you!?”, he asked, trying to stay composed. “What do you want from us?”

The figure tilted their head, and rose a hand as if to calm him down. They had such thin, nimble hands, that Esteban felt a little surprised.

“Do not be afraid.”, they spoke. “I'm not going to hurt you.”

It was a woman's voice, with a firm yet very gentle tone, so gentle that Esteban couldn't help dropping his guard. As his eyes got used to the remaining darkness, he could see she was clothed in striped robes, and her face was covered with a black veil that only revealed the tip of her pointed chin. It made him feel somewhat strange, like he wasn't supposed to know what was going on, or whom was being mourned.

The woman sat down on a nearby chair, helping herself with the long staff she carried in one hand, and it made Esteban wonder how old she could be. It was hard to say, and maybe not very polite to ask, yet the more time passed and the more questions were starting to pop up in his head again.

“Tell me, my child, what is your name?”

The question took him by surprise. He blinked, still fazed by the incredible softness of her voice.

“I'm Esteban. Who are you?”

She chuckled, waving a hand dismissively.

“You shall learn in due time. All you should know, is that I am the one keeping watch over the entrance to the Cities of Gold.”

Esteban sat up some more upon hearing that name. So that's where they were? Their guesses have been right after all!

“For a long time now, it was told that one day, two children bearing the Medallions of the Sun would come here, and open the doors to the City. And it now seems this day has come...”

She glanced over at them. At Zia, who was still sleeping, and at him. How strange it was to try and hold the gaze of eyes he couldn't even see!

“But you shouldn't worry about that right now. For now, you should rest some more and recover. The both of you have been through a lot, and it would be unfair of me to force you onto your feet just now.”

Esteban felt like protesting, for the urgency of their situation was greater than any concern for his own health. But that lady's tone seemed genuinely preoccupied, and it made him somewhat weak in ways he couldn't describe. So he politely nodded, and obediently laid back down in bed.

“When you are rested and better, I will tell you of very important things. But for now, I would like you to not worry, and to recover. As long as this place stands, it shall be a sanctuary for all of those who seek respite and help.”

Esteban felt like saying he didn't need either of those things; but the lady's nimble hands carefully draped the blanket over his shoulders, and that comforting weakness came back, stopping him in his words. It was...definitely a pleasant feeling.

“I will come to check on you and your companion a little later.”, she said softly, almost like a whisper. “For now, try not to worry about the situation. Your well-being comes first.”

He nodded, unsure of what else to say. And before he could add anything, the mysterious lady was gone.

Leaving him with all sorts of new questions to plague his mind.

~~~~~

They've made their way in. With their superior numbers and the strength of their war machines, the Olmecs had managed to enter the City of Gold. It was now but a matter of time until they'd get their hands on the Great Legacy, and unleash the terrible consequences the Priestess had warned them about.

Esteban couldn't help but watch, as everything seemed to happen before him. Kalmec and his men were already running up the stairs to the tower where the hidden treasure of the City was resting, everything was a mess outside, and the poor kid didn't know what to do and how to stop them. Everything was at a loss.

Or so it seemed. For that's when he saw the imposing figure of the Priestess, blocking their path atop the staircase. From there, it looked like the light of the machines that bounced off the walls of gold was bathing her in a moon-like aura, that only added to that ethereal impression he had of her. She was something out of this world, out of his reach.

“I know what you're looking for.”, she said, her voice echoing slightly from these heights. “You seek the power concealed within these walls. But let me tell you one thing.”

She grabbed her staff in both hands, her posture only getting more defensive. Even the Olmecs had to take a step back.

“These children have chosen to open the doors of the Cities, as their heart told them. But I still have the duty to guard it with all my might. I know very well what you intend to do with the Great Legacy, and I will not let you get away with it.”

“Get away with it!”, Kalmec stormed. “We have been witnessing the fall of our people for thousands of years! Now that we are so close to our goal, you think you alone can stop us from reaching it?”

He got closer, and so did she. In a thrust of lucidity, Esteban understood what was about to happen; without he could stop himself, he rushed up the golden staircase.

“Don't do this!”, he called out. “You don't have to fight, please!”

“Please, take your weapons away!”, Zia pleaded, right behind him. “These puny fights have to stop! We can attain peace, we can give everyone what they want!”

The Priestess was obviously at a doubt, her aggressive stance tainted with sudden hesitation. Her hands were clenched around her weapon, ready to strike yet stopped in their course by the children's insistence. A moment of hesitation, that proved fatal.

For Kalmec's sword suddenly thrust, and the Priestess fell.

Esteban couldn't hold back his screams.

The Olmecs rushed, following their leader up the tower. Esteban started running, running towards the wounded woman, as cold sweat made him shiver in fear. He crouched by her, and helped her up; luckily, she was still breathing. The cut didn't seem too deep, nor did it hit anything vital at first glance. Yet the sight of blood seeping through her clenched fingers gave his mind visions of horror.

“What are we going to do…?”, he asked in a trembling voice.

The Priestess's voice was weak, as she tried to stand up. Zia handed her staff back, and she managed to lean on it enough to get back on her feet.

“I have to stop them. I...I need to.”

She attempted to walk, but nearly missed a step, and Esteban rushed to help her stay stable. She took a deep breath, and then rushed forward, a hand over her wound and one firmly grasping her staff, to join Mendoza in help fending the Olmec soldiers away. Where the sailor was merely trying to disarm them, she was like an injured beast gone berserk, and found no harm in severely hurting her enemies. She swung her weapon with a frightening strength, actually succeeding in toppling some of them down the golden tower, her voice distorted with an ungodly shriek that scared even the most hardened Olmecs. And she would have without doubt beaten them to death, if it weren't for Mendoza's sudden grasp on her arms.

“Stop that, it's useless now!”, he warned. “You're wounded, you're in no condition to fight!”

“Who are you to decide of that?”, she spat out, almost losing that careful facade of dignity. “I have to defend the City against those who try to hurt it! I have to make them pay for their sacrilege!”

Esteban couldn't handle seeing her in such a state. He grabbed her wrist, and she looked at him in surprise.

The black veil was still covering her face, but in the golden light that surrounded them, he could almost make out her features. He could almost see the pain that deformed her traits, more so than age or wrath.

“Please.”, he attempted. “There's got to be a better way… We don't have to fight. You don't have to strain yourself.”

She tried to say something, to know what to reply. But before she could, a bright light suddenly came from the top of the tower, followed by a high-pitched rumble of machines.

“Wh-what's going on?”

She tried to stand, but fell back on her knees, a hand on her wound. All she could do was stare at the light, and let out a helpless sob.

“We're too late.”

She turned to the children, and Esteban could almost _see_ what panic had gotten a hold of her unseen eyes.

“You have to run. All of you!”

“Why? What's going on?”

“The City's going to open! Quick, you have to-”

A shake cut off her sentence. Above their head, the golden dome had started to crumble, deep cracks covering its surface as whole chunks of earth and gold fell down over them.

“It's starting. The defense mechanism has been activated.”

The sky above seemed to split into pieces, as the City itself moved and opened up. The golden ceiling parted away, and gigantic mirrors started to rise beyond the houses of gold. The Olmec machine was flying away, rising into the sky still covered in dark clouds.

The Priestess rose a weak hand, as if trying to reach into the sky. For a moment, Esteban wondered what she was doing, but that's when a very strange feeling struck him. The hand he was still holding had felt very warm all of a sudden; that's when he understood what she was trying to do. Somehow, he knew she was calling for the sun, whose light was the only thing that could save them now.

His fingers squeezed her wrist, without he knew why. Then, he rose his hand in turn, joining her in her silent call. A call he still had some doubts about; but on the moment, it felt all too normal. It felt... _familiar_.

Slowly, the clouds parted, and the light of the sun caressed his face. A light that filled him with energy, that made him feel like everything was possible. A light that he knew, and that he welcomed with a smile.

“It's a miracle...”

All around him, the City started to shift, to move, to react to the sun. The giant mirrors were activating. And faintly, the Priestess's hand squeezed his own in return.

“Let's not linger here. Quick, we have to retreat!”

She led them out of here, as everything around them got illuminated with a light like fire. And soon after, the Olmec machine was struck out of the sky, and everything turned into flames.

So Esteban ran. He held onto that hand like a lifeline, and ran.

~~~~~

“It seems the time has come.”

Ahead of them, the Smoking Shield mountain was starting to visibly collapse, as more and more yellowish fumes escaped cracks on the ground. The landscape all around was a mangled mess of fallen trees and dead animals, and the horror of this scene was but a prelude for the much more gruesome events to come.

Events that only the High Priestess could stop now.

Her feet touched the ground again, as Esteban and his friends were catching up. To know that she would have to walk into that chaos all by herself, on top of her weakened condition, gave him a very uneasy feeling.

“You don't have to do this.”, he tried once more. “Please...there's got to be another way!”

But to his supplications, she only responded with a hand on his shoulder.

“I know how you feel. But sadly, this is a task I have to carry out. This is what my duty as a guardian has led me to.”

He could see, he could _hear_ in her voice that she was afraid, and tried not to show it. To keep a strong figure to the other priests, to the children, and to the world itself.

“If I don't do something, the Great Legacy will keep burrowing itself into the bowels of the earth, and all sorts of catastrophes will follow. There is no other way.”

She pointed the way they came from with her staff.

“You need to go, right now. Your lives are in danger only staying here. And I don't want anything to happen to you.”

He knew she was right, and it was useless to try and stop her. But still, something didn't sound right in all of this. Something...something still felt strange, and he hated that he couldn't find an answer to it.

The Priestess started to head down the path, carrying the vase in her arm. But before she could get away, Esteban rushed, and grabbed her sleeve, stopping her in her tracks.

“There's something I need to know. There's...something I have to ask you.”

Just one question. One question, to answer all of his doubts. All of the worries and inquiries he's had during all of their journey here, and perhaps for even longer than that. He could feel the Priestess's eyes on him, and held their cloaked gaze as best as he could.

“You've watched over the Cities of Gold for all your life. You've watched over it for years...”

His throat started to hurt, blocked with something hard. But he tried to look past it, and keep speaking.

“I want to know...if you've met that woman, that they call the Traveling Oracle. For I know...”

He looked down, unable to hold back a tremor in his voice.

“I know...she might be my mother.”

The tale he's heard still resonated deep within him. The dubious tale Mendoza told him, that he still remembered. The tale Mayuca had spoken of, that seemed to confirm his doubts without answering them. The tale of the lone, journeying maiden, who had birthed a child with eyes of gold.

He felt a hand cup his cheek. A hand whose warmth took him by surprise, whose softness reached deep into his heart. It was like being grazed by sunlight...or maybe, something more gentle. Something even softer, like the touch of a feather, that even years of staff-wielding couldn't erase. Something serene, almost moon-like.

“Esteban...”

Her voice felt like she was about to apologize. He started to fear her next words, and what she would tell him. What sad fate he would learn has struck the one he's been searching for.

“The Traveling Oracle has come to the City, a long time ago. She didn't stay, for she still had a long way to go.”

So this was it, then? Has he come all this way to the City of Gold, for nothing? He felt his heart sink in his chest, heavier by the second; but then, she spoke again.

“However, she knew that you would come there someday. She knew it was but a matter of time. And before she left...she told me to give you this.”

And she reached under her collar. Slowly, she untied something from around her neck, that she handed to him. A golden string of a thousand knots, that he stared at with bewilderment before taking it.

A golden quipu. A message from his mother.

“She wishes she could have known you more.”, the Priestess continued. “She wishes she could have seen how you've grown. Esteban, please know...that if she were there, she would be very proud of you.”

Proud of him. He ran his thumb over the golden knots, over the words his mother had left for him, and that he couldn't even read. Had she kept him with her, would he have learned to decipher the language of the Incas? Would he have heard from her what she wanted to tell him? She was right there, in his hands, and yet...he felt somehow leagues and leagues away from her. Like no ship or golden bird would ever breach the distance between them.

“How so?”, he asked, almost disbelieving. “I don't see how she could be. How can I...”

He had to say it. Else, his heart would never know peace.

“How can I be sure she didn't abandon me?”

And at that, he could swear he's heard the Priestess gasp in shock.

He feared he had offended her somehow, that his words were not to be spoken at all. Her hand was trembling, he could feel it. Behind the mask that hid her emotions, it was still possible to know very well what she was like. He knew he maybe shouldn't say such things, especially when the situation was so dire...but this was the truth. This was the doubt he's carried with him all this time, and that he _had_ to speak out, lest it made his heart rot alive in his chest. And he hated that he was thinking them in the first place, but he needed to voice his resentment.

Slowly, the Priestess knelt to his height, despite the pain in her ribs. She wrapped an arm around him, and brought him closer to her, in a way he hadn't foreseen. And again, this sensation of being bathed in moonlight took a hold of him, submerged his worries in a serene, gentle aura that chased them away.

“Esteban.”, she whispered. “You are nothing a mother could ever be disappointed in.”

He didn't know whether it was the tears he could feel in her voice, the gentleness of the touch, or something even deeper that this embrace was unearthing; but without restraining himself, he returned it, wrapping his arms tight around her. And in that moment, he could almost imagine her, pretend he was holding _her_ , that she was there and alive and happy. He felt his throat hurt, his breath shudder, and the pain in his chest came back – a pain he needed, he _craved_ , for it was all he had left of her.

“You have to carry on.", the Priestess continued. "You have to let the memory rest, and learn to fly with your own wings. You have to walk on your own path, and leave the past behind.”

With a familiarity he almost found natural, she gently brushed away the tears he didn't knew were blooming under his eyes.

“One day, you will be reunited with your mother. One day, you will get to know her, and have all your questions answered. But until that day comes, you will need to be strong, and patient. Can you do it for me?”

Her tone was so soft, so gentle, that even though Esteban had never known a mother's care, he couldn't help feeling like a little child again. He nodded, brushing his tears away, and the Priestess stood up.

There was still duty to be attended to.

“Goodbye, Esteban. We will meet again very soon; it's a promise.”

She smiled at him from under the veil. Then, she picked up her staff and walked towards the mountain, as everyone was evacuating.

“Goodbye.”, he replied softly. “And good luck.”

And then, after a last glance at her, he followed Zia out of here. His heart still filled with doubt, with questions, as well as a warmth that felt to him like an even bigger treasure than all the gold in the world.

~~~~~

Even long after they've left to continue their journey, Esteban kept thinking about the Priestess's words. What she told him about paths and destinies. Her words kept stirring in his mind for a long while, without he could find a meaning to her cryptic riddle, but he figured it was just a matter of time. He needed to be patient, after all.

And so, he would wait. He would wait until the day came, that his questions were answered. He felt like something was still being kept from him, something important, but he did not want to start supposing at random. Such thoughts could be dangerous, and he needed sure values.

Something sure, something solid, that he knew was the truth. Something so true he could feel it, _touch_ it. Something he could carry over his heart, right next to his medallion, and ask Zia to read to him whenever he needed this reassurance.

Something he needed to help his patience.

_We all have to walk on our own path. Yours and mine may be separate, but that does not mean they will never meet._

_Perhaps you know the truth. You may be angry, but one day you will know why I could not tell you sooner._

_Please know that I never stopped loving you. Wherever I am, wherever you are, I keep you in my heart._

_The day of our reunion draws near. I will wait as long as it takes, and do everything I can to see you again, my child._

_My name is Killa, and I cannot wait to be your mother again._

And Esteban couldn't wait to be her child either.


End file.
